MOTOR VEHICLE LOCK, IN PARTICULAR MOTOR VEHICLE DOOR LOCK

Abstract

A motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which is equipped with a locking mechanism substantially comprising a rotary latch and a pawl. In addition, an electrical opening drive is provided for the locking mechanism as well as an emergency actuating element for manual emergency opening of the locking mechanism. According to the invention, the emergency actuating element is designed in a first variant such that it can be reset from its actuating position to its rest position via the force of a spring. In a further second alternative variant, the emergency actuating element is designed such that it is locked in its actuating position and can be manually reset to its rest position.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle lock, in particular motor vehicle door lock, comprising a locking mechanism consisting essentially of a rotary latch and a pawl, further comprising an electrical opening drive for the locking mechanism, and comprising an emergency actuating element for manual emergency opening of the locking mechanism, wherein the emergency actuating element is designed such that it can be reset from its actuating position into its rest position by the force of a spring.

2. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the spring is associated with the emergency actuating element and for example surrounds it.

3. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the spring is designed as a pawl spring.

4. A motor vehicle lock, in particular motor vehicle door lock, comprising a locking mechanism consisting essentially of a rotary latch and a pawl, further comprising an electrical opening drive for the locking mechanism, and comprising an emergency actuating element for manual emergency opening of the locking mechanism, wherein the emergency actuating element is blocked in its actuating position and is designed such that it can be manually reset into its rest position.

5. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 4, wherein a connected handle is provided for manually resetting the emergency actuating element.

6. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 5, wherein the handle is designed as a flexible handle that acts on the emergency actuating element, such as cable, cord, pull, Bowden cable, etc.

7. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 5, wherein the handle and the emergency actuating element define a structural unit, in particular an integral structural unit made of plastics material for example.

8. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the emergency actuating element is designed as an actuating pin that acts indirectly or indirectly on the pawl.

9. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the emergency actuating element passes through an opening in a lock housing in a sealing manner.

10. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, wherein the emergency actuating element is arranged behind a preferably detachable trim, for example an interior trim of an associated motor vehicle door.

Description

[0024] The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to a drawing which shows only one embodiment. In the drawing:

[0025] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective and side views, in part in cross-section, of the motor vehicle lock according to the invention,

[0026] FIG. 3A, 3B show the locking mechanism including the electrical opening drive in a perspective overview together with the emergency actuating element, and

[0027] FIGS. 4A and 4B show the actuation of the emergency actuating element in the variant comprising a connected handle.

[0028] The drawings show a motor vehicle lock which is advantageously and in a non-limiting manner a motor vehicle door lock. The motor vehicle lock in question, and in particular the motor vehicle door lock, is received overall in a lock housing 1 made of plastics material, which is particularly visible in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the interior of the lock housing 1, a locking mechanism 2, 3, which can be seen substantially in FIG. 3, having a merely indicated rotary latch 3 and pawl 2, is rotatably mounted. A metal lock case 4 is provided and realized for mounting the locking mechanism 2, 3.

[0029] Furthermore, the motor vehicle lock or motor vehicle door lock shown is equipped with an electrical or electromotive opening drive 5, 6, 7, which operates indirectly on a release lever 8 and thus the locking mechanism 2, 3. Indeed, the release lever 8 is mounted so as to be coaxial with the pawl 2 and so as to be rotatable about a common axis 9. In addition, the release lever 8 and the pawl 2 are coupled to one another in a rotationally fixed manner. The electrical opening drive 5, 6, 7 comprises, for its part, an electric motor 5 which, on the output side, works with a worm on a worm wheel 6 and causes this to rotate about an associated axis 10. According to the embodiment, the worm gear 6 is equipped with a helical spatial contour 7 which works on an end of the release lever 8.

[0030] Consequently, a movement of the worm wheel 6 indicated in FIG. 3A, in the counterclockwise direction indicated here, in the case of an electrical opening process, ensures that the end of the release lever 8 resting against the helical contour 7 is moved to the left, following the helical shape and according to the embodiment. This results in a rotation of the release lever 8 about the axis 9 in common with the pawl 2, in the clockwise direction. Since the pawl 2 is coupled to the release lever 8 in a rotationally fixed manner, the pawl 2 is also acted upon in the clockwise direction, and thereby releases the rotary latch 3, with which it was previously in latching engagement in the closed position indicated in FIG. 3A.

[0031] As a result, the rotary latch 3 opens, optionally in a spring-assisted manner, and releases a previously caught locking pin (not expressly shown). The electrical or electromotive opening process of the motor vehicle lock in question or of its locking mechanism 2, 3 corresponds to this.

[0032] In addition, an emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 is also realized, specifically for manual emergency opening of the locking mechanism 2, 3. According to the embodiment, this manual emergency opening of the locking mechanism 2, 3 is realized and implemented in such a way that the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13, within the context of the representation according to FIG. 3A, is manually acted upon, for example with a thumb, by an operator or vehicle user, in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 3B. The pushing movement, associated therewith, on the linearly displaceable emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 results in the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 working on a stop 14 arranged on the release lever 8. As a result, the manual action, indicated in FIG. 3B, on the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 for manual emergency opening of the locking mechanism 2, 3 corresponds to the release lever 8 being caused, in this case, to rotate about its axis 9 in the clockwise direction, and specifically independently of the opening drive 5, 6, 7. Since the pawl 2 is connected to the release lever 8 in a rotationally fixed manner, this againas in the case of electrical openingleads to the pawl 2 being withdrawn from its engagement with the rotary latch 3.

[0033] Within the context of the embodiment shown, two basic procedures are now to be distinguished from one another when resetting the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13. In the context of the variant according to FIG. 3, the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 is designed such that it can be reset by the force of a spring 15, and specifically from its actuating position shown in FIG. 3B into its rest position shown in FIG. 3A.

[0034] For this purpose, according to the embodiment the spring 15 is assigned to the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13. It can be seen from FIG. 3A, in this first variant, that the spring 15 is designed as a helical spring and surrounds the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 at least in part, or the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 passes through the spring 15. For this purpose, the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 is equipped with a front-side guide region 11 of a larger diameter, and a adjoining passage region 12 of smaller diameter. A plate-shaped actuating surface 13 is provided on the head side of the passage region 12, which in this variant is designed such that, for example, a user presses their thumb onto the actuating surface 13 in question and thereby transfers the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13, in the form of an actuating pin 11, 12, 13, to the right in the illustration according to FIG. 3B, from the rest position shown (FIG. 3A) into the actuation position shown (FIG. 3B).

[0035] It can be seen that, for this purpose, the spring 15 surrounds the passage region 12 and is arranged on a wall of the lock housing 1 in the region of an opening 16 of the lock housing 1. The passage region 12 of the emergency actuating element or actuating pin 11, 12, 13 passes through this opening 16 of the lock housing 1. In this case, the spring 15 is arranged between the plate-like actuating surface 13 and the lock housing 1. The guide region 11 in turn dips into a guide 17 in the interior of the lock housing 1, and can be linearly moved back and forth in this guide 17. Since the guide region 11 has a larger diameter compared to the passage region 12, the restoring movement of the emergency actuating element or actuating pin 11, 12, 13, which is acted upon by the spring 15, is limited in that the guide region 11 approaches, on the inside and with a head-side stop, a wall region of the lock housing 1 surrounding the opening 16.

[0036] The further second variant according to FIGS. 4A and 4B of the emergency actuating element or actuating pin of the 11, 12, 13 has a comparable design, but has dispensed with the spring 15 for the resetting. Rather, the procedure here is such that the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 is manually reset, and a handle 18 connected to the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 is provided for this purpose. The handle 18 on the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 is a flexible handle 18 which, according to the embodiment, is designed as a cable or string having an eyelet, such that, via the eyelet, a user can reset the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 with a finger, which means, in the embodiment according to FIGS. 4A and 4B in the representation according to FIG. 4B, that the emergency actuating element or the actuating pin 11, 12, 13 is moved to the left in the direction of the arrow indicated in FIG. 4B. FIG. 4A then shows the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 in its rest position. In contrast, the representation according to FIG. 4B corresponds to the actuating position of the emergency actuating element or actuating pin 11, 12, 13.

[0037] According to the embodiment, the handle 18 and the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 are designed as a structural unit, and in particular an integral structural unit. For this purpose, the flexible handle 18 is molded onto the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13, which is consequently is a plastics injection molded part in each case.

[0038] With the aid of the emergency actuating element or the actuating pin 11, 12, 13, in the embodiment according to FIG. 3 the pawl 2 is acted on indirectly, specifically by interposing the release lever 8. Of course, direct action on the pawl 2 is also conceivable. Furthermore, it can also be seen in all embodiments that the emergency actuating element or the actuating pin 11, 12, 13 penetrates the opening 16 in the lock housing 1 in a sealing manner. A seal 19 is provided for this purpose. According to the embodiment, the seal 19 is designed as an O-seal embedded in the actuating pin 11, 12, 13. Indeed, the seal or O-seal 19 in question is located in the guide region 11 of the emergency actuating element or actuating pin 11, 12, 13. In this way, the invention ensures that no moisture, dust, etc. can penetrate through the opening 16 and into the interior of the lock housing 1.

[0039] Just like the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13, including the connected handle 18, the lock housing 1 is made of plastics material, for example formed as an injection molded plastics part. As a result, the guide 17 for receiving the guide region 11 of the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 is also made of plastics material. In this way, not only a simple and cost-effective production is provided, but rather the emergency actuating element 11, 12, 13 is also received in a particularly low-friction manner in the interior of the lock housing 1 or the associated guide 17. This is because low friction plastics material/plastics material is typically observed at this point.

[0040] The emergency actuating element or the actuating pin 11, 12, 13 is arranged as a whole in a manner concealed behind a detachable trim 20, and consequently is not visible and thus also protected from tampering. In order to consequently be able to act on the actuating pin 11, 12, 13 in question, the detachable trim 20 must first be opened or removed. According to the embodiment, this is an interior trim of an associated motor vehicle door or also an outside trim, or both. This has already been described in the introduction.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0041] Lock housing 1 [0042] Locking mechanism 2, 3 [0043] Pawl 2 [0044] Rotary latch 3 [0045] Lock case 4 [0046] Opening drive 5, 6, 7 [0047] Worm wheel 6 [0048] Contour 7 [0049] Release lever 8 [0050] Axis 9 [0051] Axis 10 [0052] Emergency actuation element 11, 12, 13 [0053] Guide region 1 [0054] Passage region 12 [0055] Actuating surface 13 [0056] Stop 14 [0057] Spring 15 [0058] Opening 16 [0059] Guide 17 [0060] Handle 18 [0061] O-seal 19 [0062] Trim 20